BLACK BEAN TACOS

“I learnt how to make these beans from Angela Dwyer, friend and Queen of Cooking for me; an incredible chef and teacher. They can be served alone – in a more soupy way (add more water then) with crumblings of goodies such as cotija cheese (or feta), coriander, lime and salsa roja – or in tacos. If you don’t have time to make them from scratch, use three cans of drained beans.”

Serves 5 to 6

A LITTLE EFFORT

GREAT VALUE

Preparation: 20 minutes, plus overnight soaking time

Cooking: 2 hours

For the black beans: dried black beans 400 g, soaked overnight olive oil 4T large onion 1 (230 g), chopped garlic 4 cloves, chopped white wine ½ cup dried red chillies 2 or 3 (or as many as you like), trimmed, seeded and finely chopped (or 3–4 pinches dried flakes) coriander 1 medium bunch, leaves picked and stems chopped crushed tomatoes 1 x 400 g can bay leaves 2 ground coriander 1t ground cumin 1t vegetable broth 3½ cups (or 1 vegetable stock cube with water)

For the salsa roja: ripe tomatoes 3 or 4 (about 400 g) onion ½ (70 g), peeled garlic 2 cloves, peeled and left whole large dried red chilli 1, left whole small dried hot chillies 3–4 (piri-piri, scud, bird’s-eye) sunflower oil 1T coriander leaves 1 small fistful lime juice 1T

For the pico de gallo: ripe, firm cherry tomatoes

200 g, cut into small chunks onion 40 g, chopped small sweet green pepper

(such as Padrón) 1, chopped radishes 3, thinly sliced coriander leaves 1 heaped T chopped lime juice 2T pickled jalapeño slices 2, seeded and finely chopped (or 1 small green

Serrano chilli) brine from the jalapeño jar 2t

For the guacamole: ripe avocados 2 onion 2 T very finely chopped small cherry tomatoes 4 (35 g), cut up quite small pickled jalapeño slices 2, finely chopped lime juice 3T coriander leaves 1½ T torn

For serving: corn or flour tortillas 10–12 queso fresco, cotija or feta 200 g limes 2, quartered radishes 3, finely sliced coriander

1 Drain and rinse the beans. Heat the olive oil in a wide pressure cooker or sauté pan with a lid, and sauté the onion. When golden and sticky, add the garlic and when it smells good, add the wine. Let it reduce, then add the dried chillies, chopped coriander stems, beans, tomato, bay leaves, ground coriander and cumin. 2 Add the broth or the vegetable stock cube and water. Give a couple of grinds of pepper. Close the lid on the pressure cooker. After the first whistle, reduce the heat and cook for about 40 minutes. 3 Let it cool down a bit before opening, then add about 1½ t salt (depending on your broth) and simmer, uncovered now, for about 10 minutes – or until you have a thick, pulpy stew with a little liquid pooling on the top. (Stir often so the beans don’t burn and use a simmer mat towards the end if you have one.) If they are not soft enough yet, add a little water and cook for longer. If not using a pressure cooker, cover almost completely with water in a large pot and simmer for about 1¾–2 hours or until soft, adding an extra 3 cups or so of water and the salt in the last hour of cooking. 4 When the beans are ready, tear in a good handful of coriander leaves (saving the rest for serving) and remove from the heat. Leftover black beans can be frozen. 5 To make the salsa roja, cut the tomatoes into 6 wedges from the top to bottom, and the onion into 4 wedges. 6 Heat a large non-stick frying pan and add the tomato and onion wedges on their sides. Add the garlic and large chilli in a single layer (keep the small chillies out for now) and dry fry until the undersides are well charred but not too dark. (The pan may look worryingly dark but will come clean with soaking.) Turn everything gently to colour all sides. 7 Turn off the heat. Being careful not to scrape the pan too much, remove everything using a fork into a medium-sized tall pot. Cut off just the top stem of the large chilli but leave everything else whole, including seeds. Add the small hot dried chillies and ½ cup hot water and blend everything together using a hand-held blender until smooth (some small bits are okay). Add 1 t salt and the oil. Simmer, partly covered, for 5–6 minutes so it changes from a frothy liquid to a chunkier sauce. 8 Chop the coriander and add to the pot with the lime juice. Stir through, then remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Any leftover sauce can be kept in the fridge in a glass jar. 9 To make the pico de gallo, place the tomatoes, onion, pepper and radishes into a bowl with the coriander, lime juice, jalapeños and brine. Scatter in about ½ t salt. Turn through and adjust any flavours. This sauce

“This is an anywhere sauce. A wonderful spoonful on any meal that adds a nice pop and a fresh element to everything”

must have some oomph. 10 To make the guacamole, mash some of the avocado and leave some a bit chunkier in a wide bowl for serving. Add the onion, tomatoes, jalapeños and lime, season with pepper and a generous amount of salt to taste – about 1 t – and add the torn coriander leaves. Mix through gently and taste for seasoning. Cook’s note: You could add a ham bone to the beans while cooking. I cook the beans in a pressure cooker, which cuts down on cooking time. In Mexico, tortillas are often served rolled up like cigars on the side of the black beans. FAT-CONSCIOUS, MEAT-FREE, WHEATAND GLUTEN-FREE

WINE: Pierre Jourdan Belle Rosé